Divine Emperor of Death

Chapter 4233  Hurling Accusations

”Nonsense.”

Esmond Stavenger glared, ”Just what are you up to? Are you trying to usurp the throne of my Whispering Wildlands Lower Realm by dealing with me and having another scrooge of yours sit here while you reap the benefits in secret!?”

He roared as he took a step forward, plunging the edge of the blade over his neck as blood poured out.

The Venerable Hollow Knightʼs expression changed ever so lightly.

He pulled his halberd back and pushed the Realm Master away with the staff.

”Heal yourself.” He frowned, ”Iʼm not a Heavenʼs Warrior who is concerned with such puny benefits. You, of all people, should know what my title entails and how much wealth I possess from having hunted three Anarchic Divergents alone. Thereʼs no other glory I seek, so for you to claim that Iʼm after your throne is nothing but your own insecurity.”

”Do you take me to be a mere persimmon?” Esmond Stavenger scoffed as she spread his hands, ”You think Iʼll just allow you to walk in uninvited just because youʼre a Heavenʼs Warrior of incredible honor? Any insolent man who dares to enter my familyʼs sacred location will be beheaded without a doubt. If you really want to go, then do it over my dead body! I dare you!”

*Bzzz!~*

Esmond Stavengerʼs undulations soared into the skies.

At this moment, he was the supreme ruler of this realm, exuding immense authority and power. With a mere wave of his hand, countless formations activated, covering the skies and the stairs. They seemed to contain the cumulative efforts of the Stavenger Family, emitting powerful undulations that threatened the Venerable Hollow Knight.

The Venerable Hollow Knight narrowed his eyes.

He remained staring at Esmond Stavenger, making it unknown if he was considering killing him once and for all or taking a step back. His pitch-black eyes would invoke fear in the heart of any onlooker, so Esmond Stavenger, who was matching gazes, could be said to be brave.

Amidst the tumultuous undulations, the Venerable Hollow Knight finally withdrew his halberd and kept it in his spatial ring.

”Iʼm not here to battle a Realm Master to the death. If you are gone, then that would invite a tumultuous power struggle within this space and bring chaos throughout the realm. Iʼd rather not go through with what I decided previously, so it would be wise of you to invite me inside and let me into the chamber where the Realm Core is located. As long as I confirm there is nothing strange going on, I will personally apologize to you and even compensate you from my personal coffers.”

”I wonʼt.” Esmond Stavenger decisively waved his hand, not even considering, ”This is a matter of pride, not for myself but for my entire lineage. You came strutting off with your powers not once but twice, thinking the heavens side with you and you can do anything you want without anyone daring to condone you, but only the heavens know how much you have abused your powers. I, the Realm Master of the Whispering Wildlands Lower Realm, will not stand for this blatant use of authority.”

”I will definitely take this matter to Heavenʼs Warrior Organizations and demand justice if you continue to harass us with your powers!”

Esmond Stavenger declared righteously as his voice rose to a new height of intensity. His voice reverberated across the Whispering Wildlands Peninsula, causing countless people to look at here.

”…”

The Venerable Hollow Knight frowned. He sensed many gazes on him. His Heavenʼs Warriors were also looking at him with strange gazes.

After all, a Heavenʼs Warrior may have authority over commoners in times of emergency, but when it came to the rulers of the myriad of realms, they were restricted. They would be punished for engaging with them in an overbearing manner.

This was usually the case for Upper Realms. For the Lower Realms, there would usually be some leeway. After all, the Lower Realms tended to change hands more frequently compared to the Upper Realms. Who were the Lower Realm rulers going to complain to? The backlash would be lower.

Still, the Venerable Hollow Knight didnʼt care.

He would not let go of anything that caught his suspicion since that was why he was able to hunt down three Anarchic Divergents by himself and kill them with his overbearing powers. Although he didnʼt have evidence, he believed his intuition.

Something was wrong here.

”Soon, two more Venerable Knights will come here in order to investigate the calamities going on here. They will probably be more polite than me. At that time, letʼs see if you could maintain the same facade.”

But since he was helpless to force his way through, he took a step back and turned around.

”Heavenʼs Warriors surround the space. Nothing is leaving this flying continent. Whatʼs inside should come out if you wait enough.”

”Yes!”

”Peh~ You think some Divergent is inside? How insulting~”

Esmond Stavenger spat on the ground and coldly mocked the Venerable Hollow Knight, his gaze fully condescending.

”Time will soon tell.”

The Venerable Hollow Knight didnʼt even look back and walked down the stairs.

”Yeah, it will.” Esmond Stavenger laughed.

ʼAHHHHHHHH!~~~ Iʼve done it!!!ʼ

But inwardly, he was screaming like it was the end of the world.

Now that he had engaged in a behavior that blocked the Heavenʼs Warriors from investigating, even if he feigned innocence in the future and claimed that he was controlled, he wouldnʼt be forgiven easily.

Nonetheless, he slowly calmed and breathed out.

His entire being was covered in perspiration. He didnʼt know if he had given away something with his body language during this whole situation, but it was good news that the Venerable Hollow Knight had decided to back out.

He knew the Heavenʼs Warriors were always confined by their own morals, their own sense of justice. They were least concerned with their image. However, they couldnʼt bring shame to their organization by being embroiled in this kind of high-profile behavior that would reflect on their overall image unless absolutely necessary.

They had no evidence that he was conspiring with the Divine Emperor of Death, after all.

Fortunately, he was right about them and managed to keep the Heavenʼs Warriors away.

ʼWhy should I be doing this for the Divine Emperor of Death? Ugh, if not, this flying continent will explode from their battles, and I would have failed my ances-ʼ

Esmond Stavenger turned to look back and instantly paused.

He felt something wasnʼt right and hurriedly rushed inside, heading down the Realm Core tunnel and appearing directly above it.

”You-!”

Esmond Stavengerʼs heart sank as he saw the Venerable Hollow Knight stand before the Realm Core and survey the surroundings. He had gotten in somehow!

ʼItʼs over…ʼ

Esmond Stavengerʼs shoulders drooped as he saw the Venerable Hollow Knight look around. The latter merely shot a look at him before continuing to move around through all the formation nodes placed to cover the entire peninsula with formations.

In this enormous underground hall, its vastness made it appear as though it was a city on its own. The countless pillars arranged in perfect order were nodes that helped support the formation.

The Venerable Hollow Knight walked past these nodes and looked around at his pace. For the entire time, his senses constantly probed. This was what made Esmond Stavenger realize that something was wrong.

Initially, the Venerable Hollow Knight didnʼt seem to use his soul sense this openly, but once he was caught, he was no longer trying to conceal his soul sense. It expanded like a dough and constantly probed the space.

Esmond Stavenger literally gave up. He didnʼt even find it in his heart to put up a show anymore, for the spatial entrance is just on the opposite side of the Realm Core. Perhaps that was the luckiest thing that happened to him.

Still, for the Venerable Hollow Knight to be not able to find the mini-realm quickly with his senses alone, he was impressed.

He didnʼt expect the Void Dust Treeʼs spatial arts to be that powerful. Even he had his soul sense stretched out, but he couldnʼt find it.

However, he knew this wouldnʼt last long since the mini-realm could be found with bare eyes as long as one got closer to it. At that moment, there was no denying he hosted a swarm of Divergents in this place, making him inwardly cry.

He prepared himself for the inevitable. However, he didnʼt give up. He took a deep breath.

”Who..!?”

Suddenly, there were three hoarse voices that echoed through the underground chamber. They intermixed, creating a frightening tone that would make any normal personʼs heart sink to demise.

Naturally, he knew who they were since it was his ancestors who protected the Realm Core Chamber as its guardians.

The Venerable Hollow Knight stopped to look at the three of them. Their decrepit looks and unstable aura only told him that they had awakened to his presence just now.